A Shift at the Made In NH Expo

Volunteering at the Made in NH Expo was my very first experience at the Expo, and what an experience it was! As I arrived for my shift, I was shocked by the length of the ticket line. The event had barely started, and there were already so many people excitedly awaiting their entrance. I was shocked a second time when the line moved so quickly with such a high volume of people. It was evident that the event was expertly run, and the expo workers, as well the GSA volunteers, had it down to a science.

My first task was to understand how the event worked and where all of the GSA volunteers were located in their positions. I accompanied Naomi through the entrance, past the set of GSA volunteers checking people in, and into a complete sea of people. Each aisle was almost at a standstill. Our first stop was the NH Tourism Booth for the Division of Travel and Tourism Development. As I watched for only a couple minutes, the brochures flew off the racks, and the GSA volunteers answered many questions.

I thoroughly enjoyed taking pictures of everyone enjoying themselves. I found a happy customer at the Coke machine, where you could hug the machine and a Coke came out. The mascot for St. Mary’s Bank was also very photogenic, both with kids and adults alike. Traveling from Live and Let Live Farm, the animals were a hit, and they did not mind a picture or two. The goat posed for a picture with me, and then I found the chickens. On my tour of the expo, I passed by many delicious free samples, including salad, chocolate, pizza, and much more. The sheer amount of local businesses all in the same location was incredible, and the number of people who wanted to experience the local NH businesses throughout the weekend was phenomenal. Already looking forward to next year!